Silver Aspen Ranch - 2022 U.S. Nationals

A Beautiful Life

by CATHERINE COLE FERANDELLI

It’s all still a blur.

LaRae’s larger than life presence still remains crystal clear, for her husband and soulmate, Rod, her family, friends, clients and the equine world, where her talent and generosity graced us all.

Yes, it’s still a blur.

LaRae came from horse people. Her father trained some horses and her mother gave riding lessons. In no time, LaRae made it clear she wanted to ride horses and show them.

At two years old, LaRae won her first class riding Quarter Horse Jody Code, owned by Bruce Wilke. Her mother, Donna, sewed LaRae’s show attire herself, including the chaps. The Silver Aspen Ranch took hold, the roots cementing a firm foundation for what was to come. And along the way, for over more than 50 years, Silver Aspen’s motto mirrored LaRae’s …

Do it and do it well.

Silver Aspen Ranch has produced over 400 national and reserve national champions at the Arabian/Half-Arabian Nationals, as well as World and National Champions in the Appaloosa and Quarter Horse breeds.

This is the Fletcher-Powell vow, infused with integrity, honesty, generosity and loyalty; unsparingly fun, with a few pranks here and there.

Rod and LaRae, married for 37 years, saw each other from afar while competing at nearby Appaloosa and Quarter Horse shows. Both were ambitious young trainers on the rise. Rod was smitten, but shy. He knew he had to make a BIG impression to earn a date with LaRae.

Rod recollects, “I knew LaRae hated chocolate cream pie. In my juvenile mind I conjured up, what better way to get LaRae’s attention than to smack her in the face with one!” The chocolate-pie-in-the-face plan went awry in the grandstands of a local horse show when Rod’s “pie arm” was jarred. Said pie smacked LaRae’s client’s white poodle instead and all went haywire! “LaRae’s client madly ran to LaRae’s truck,” Rod continues, “and she took the poor woman home. But not before I got LaRae with my spare chocolate cream pie!”

LaRae cleverly counterattacked, however. Soon after, Rod’s brand new truck’s interior had an unbearable, mysterious stink that wouldn’t go away. In the midst of all this, Rod drummed up the courage to ask LaRae out to a first date movie. He instantly knew who the culprit of the truck stink was when LaRae replied, “I’ll go out with you if you get rid of that stink inside your truck!” She admitted retaliation to the chocolate pie-in-the-face shenanigans, with the planting of a small piece of Limburger cheese.

Rod cleaned his truck, he and LaRae had their first date, and were together from then on, marrying in 1985. “We were meant to be together,” Rod says simply, “and we knew it.”

Though opposites in many ways, LaRae and Rod’s vision, determination and work ethic were laser-like in sync.

First there was the building of their show horse business. Already big-time winners in the Northwest, it was time to hit each national circuit for Appaloosas, Quarter Horses and Arabians. Both had worked under multiple, respected trainers, observing and learning, and it was now time for LaRae and Rod to take what they’d learned, add their own “flavor”, and go on the road. Rod took the Appaloosas, LaRae the Arabians, and they split the Quarter Horses between themselves.

Barely newlyweds, LaRae and Rod were on the road constantly those early years, calling each other daily to catch up, staying in contact with the family home place, where Donna, her sister-in-law (and respected trainer/judge) Cheryl, and others took care of the horses, exotic animals (including Ziggy, the resident Zebra!), and all that involves a ranch operation.

In 1987, LaRae and Rod hit pay dirt, winning at the AQHA World Show and the Appaloosa Nationals. Returning home, they increased their ranch operation, enhancing and expanding with a new 35-stall barn.

“Every business takes risks,” LaRae said then, “but I don’t know if they’re as big as the ones we’ve taken.”

Their investment paid off. Their beginnings of having to take any client and any horse now (deservedly), was fine tuned. LaRae and Rod’s glowing reputation grew as an honest, hardworking, young couple who turned out great show horses and happy clients. Their client waiting list multiplied. Most clients came to Silver Aspen and stayed.

LaRae’s first client was Ingrid Bentzen and her stallion Adaanis+// (who 40 years later, is still a client).

Silver Aspen Ranch was well on its way.

Rod & LaRae... at the World Championship Quarter Horse Show in 1987, and with their sons: Colby, Trentyn and Skylar.

Around five years into marriage, LaRae and Rod agreed it was time to expand their family. Rod, now armed with his teaching degree, began his career in elementary school special education. “All trainers should have insurance benefits,” says Rod. “My near-miss appendix burst one weekend at a show in Olympia convinced us we needed benefits to keep ourselves healthy and moving forward in starting our family.”

LaRae gave birth first to Skylar, then a few years later came Colby and then Trentyn. Silver Aspen’s training operation flourished, now mostly training, showing and breeding Arabian horses. The predominantly working western barn expanded to training nearly all the Arabian horse disciplines and winning big prizes in all.

LaRae, Rod and Cheryl had their specialties, yet were flexible, filling in as needed during LaRae’s pregnancies.

“LaRae likes to mix it up,” Rod laughs. “She had a longtime passion for saddle seat horses—she could ride anything. One of our English horses didn’t trot to par, so LaRae decided she should

show him in native costume. It didn’t matter she’d never done it before. She entered the arena just behind legendary native costume trainer and our neighbor, Joey Canda. LaRae followed him, stayed in Joey’s tracks the entire time and won reserve champion behind his championship!”

Now a family with young children, when LaRae would go on the road, Rod would accompany depending on his school schedule, while Donna and her mother stayed home with the boys.

Donna remembers, “I was always sewing, so Skylar and Colby would be with my mother. When Trentyn arrived, my mother had passed on, so I watched him too. We have always been one big family, so everyone contributes.” Skylar, Colby and Trentyn agree, “Our mom and dad never insisted we follow in their footsteps as horse trainers. Still, we always had our jobs to do at the barn, whether we wanted to ride horses or not.”

LaRae’s family’s integrity, loyalty and a top-notch work ethic are imbedded in each and every one.

LaRae with National Champion Adaanis+//; National Champion RRF Tailor Made+//; Sharli in 1972; National Champion RD Habanero; and her mother, Donna.

Skylar shares, “Mom always said, ‘Tell people what’s going on. Always be honest about a horse, even if it isn’t fulfilling the client’s hopes and dreams.’ She always wanted what was best for the horse, which was always the best for the client, even if they didn’t realize it then. She was the best horseman in every single way. She’s the only trainer to win the U.S. and Canadian Nationals Arabian Western Pleasure Junior Horse championship with a snaffle bit! And she always took the time to help anyone; no matter how busy, she would take that extra moment to make things better for anyone, even a complete stranger.”

Colby nods vigorously, “There was always more to learn from my Mom. I’d call her daily from my place in Scottsdale, and she’d always have good words, or an idea to share. Both Mom and Dad’s exampling always makes you strive to do better. We had the best childhood ever. That’s the main thing for me.”

Trentyn, currently a software development student at a local college, is a night owl, same as his mother. “Almost every night, I’d come downstairs around 11:00 pm,” he shares, “and Mom would be in her chair, relaxing, watching ‘Friends’ while Dad was long asleep in bed. She would ask me about school, we’d talk about the barn … everything. That was our time.”

Sister-in-law, Cheryl, is poignant, “LaRae and I were bonded like sisters. We were opposites in some ways: I’m quiet, a bit reserved, while LaRae was chatty, outgoing. Her way of saying something to make you have that ‘light bulb’ moment and realize ‘problem solved’ was uncanny.”

The Powells 20-acre Silver Aspen Ranch in Auburn, WA was the multi-generation home place for more than 60 years. In 2019,

LaRae’s lifelong dream came true with the purchase of a new place, a 75-acre ranch, 10 minutes away in Enumclaw.

The “new” Silver Aspen Ranch was truly LaRae and Rod’s own. Nestled in a valley beneath towering mountain peaks, the working ranch was in disrepair, prompting the family to design it to their specifications.

“Our new place has hay fields, an indoor arena with stalls all around, pastures for the babies and broodmares,” Rod elaborates. “Trentyn and I built a round pen and 15 additional stalls. Same as the old place, we’re all here. Trentyn lives in an apartment above the garage, Skylar has a rambler home on site, and Donna is having an ADU built to her specifications.” Rod adds, “We’re completing it exactly as LaRae would want it. My wish is for all of us to continue and make her proud.”

LaRae, the little girl who dressed up her pet goat Willie Whiskers as a Saddlebred, and who could mimic the sound of a crow, grew up to be the incomparable daughter, wife, mother, horsewoman and friend.

Gone far too soon, LaRae’s beautiful life touched everyone who was lucky to have known her.

LaRae & Cheryl at the farm in 1995, and the new Silver Aspen Ranch in 2022.